


Dinner Time

by Semi_problematic



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fucked Up, M/M, Protective Siblings, Sibling Love, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 13:50:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13789056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semi_problematic/pseuds/Semi_problematic
Summary: Negan smiled down at him, Lucille leaning against his shoulder proudly. "Honey, I'm home!" He called in a sing song voice.Carl was silent, looking Negan up and down before peeking around him. "Who's with you?"Negan ignored the question. "Where's your daddy? Is he home?""You know he's on a supply run." Carl replied. He used his body to block the door. "So, why are you here?""You didn't hear my little announcement." Negan leaned down until he was eye level with Carl. "I'm taking some time off. My job.. it's just so stressful." His fingers pressed underneath Carls chin, tilting his head up. "I thought you'd be happy to see me, its been a while."





	Dinner Time

**Author's Note:**

> As always, Carls 18/19

The windows were open wide, warm summer wind blowing through the house. Curtains flapped as the wind picked up, Judiths giggling echoed throughout the silent house, along with the hiss of flames from the stove. Carls sleeves were rolled up as he laid out each one of the rolls onto a tray. Water was popping as it boiled, the bubbles creating a soft rumble. 

He smiled to himself as he saw Judith stumble through the living room. She took her first steps a few days ago. Michonne was playing with her while Carl sat and picked up her crayons. She looked up at him and smiled before pushing away and stepping towards him. She tripped and stumbled before falling into his open arms. Carl didn't notice he was crying until a tear fell into her hair and she squirmed away. Rick missed it, he spent days complaining about it, but it was a joke. All three of them knew that Rick wasn't her dad, Shane was her dad, genetically, and Carl raised her. What Rick was doing probably counted as "busting balls" or something. Thats what Negan would say, at least.

"Judy.." Carl called. "You wanna come help me cook?" He asked. She stared at him wide eyed before grabbing onto the couch and walking towards him. Carl laughed to himself and walked over, picking her up. She clung to his chest as he carried her. She babbled into his chest, tugging on his hair and it made his heart ache. "Okay.." He set her down on the counter. "I'm making us mac and cheese, your favorite." 

She smiled, clapping. She reached up for him again and his smile grew so wide that his cheeks hurt. Judith was the good thing, the one good thing in this horrible world, and Carl would die before he let anything hurt her. 

He turned around and pulled the oven open, setting the tray inside. He turned around and picked up a knife, tracing the edge with his finger. "Now, Judith, knives are bad, never touch one, okay?" She stared at him, like always, and he just continued to speak. "You're never allowed to touch any weapon, ever, they are all bad." Carl knew what holding guns and knives did to him, he didn't want the same happening to her.

Carl held a knife loosely as he cut different vegetables, praying he didn't mess up and cut hia hand. He had lost his eye months ago, but he still wasn't used to the loss of his depth perception. It was so screwed up and it frustrated him horribly. He ran into things and people. It took him weeks of practicing with a target to fix his aim when he shot a gun. 

Carl set the knife down and stopped when he saw his reflection in the blade. He hated what he saw. Knotted hair and white bandages. Split lip and bruises decorating his face. Holding the knife was different, though, he didn't have to see himself when he held it. Holding the knife was comforting and in a way felt normal. Before the walkers normal. When he cooked dinner he could pretend thats all that was happening. That the only time he held a knife was to cut different foods and not to stab people in the head, alive and dead. 

Engines revved outside, engines too big and too loud to be from their own cars. Carl grabbed Judith and pulled her into his chest. He held her tight with one arm, picking up the knife with the other. Slowly, he walked towards the door, turning the knob and pulling it open. Carl began to plan an escape, knowing that for them it could only be worst case scenario, because thats all they ever truly got. Bad things. 

Negans voice echoed through the neighbourhood. "Relax!" He shouted, a chuckle bubbling out of his chest. "I'm just here for a little vacation. You know, its tiring bashing in skulls!" 

Carl set the knife down on the table outside, kissing Judys head. "Go play." He mumbled, walking back inside and kicking the door shut. He set her down on the floor before walking into the kitchen. He took a few deep breaths, digging his nails into the counter in an attempt to hold him up.

Negan and him were nothing. But they were also something. Hidden, feverish kisses and biting. Nails scratching and hair pulling. Silence and words filled with venom and hate. They were bad. And Carl didn't want Judith around anything bad. 

The first time Negan came was scary enough. Carl knew Negan wouldn't lay a hand on her, but Carl liked the way it looked. Liked the way Judiths small body stood out against his black leather jacket. Liked the way Negan talked to her like he was her dad. It gave him a sense of normalcy but in all the wrong ways. It was the apocalypse, it wasn't the time to be playing house with a man who was capable of scaring the devil out of hell. 

Carl shook his head before straightening up. He pulled open a cabinet and ripped open a box of mac and cheese, pulling out the small paper packet filled with artificial cheese. He glanced at Judith as he poured the pasta into the boiling water. He bit his lip and picked up a wooden spoon, stirring. 

Entertaining the thought of a normal life was useless. Negan didn't settle down, Carl knew that the day he snuck into the Sanctuary. He had multiple wives, all for the sake of sex. He wouldn't settle down, no matter how many times Carl kissed him and begged. Something inside of Negan liked the chaos, the freedom that the fall of society brought. Judith didn't need to be around that. 

Something hit the front door, causing Carl to jump. He pulled the spoon out of the pot and set it on the counter, walking towards the door. He peeked out the window, sighing when he saw the tip of a bat. Carl turned the lock and pulled the door open, looking up at Negan. 

Negan smiled down at him, Lucille leaning against his shoulder proudly. "Honey, I'm home!" He called in a sing song voice. 

Carl was silent, looking Negan up and down before peeking around him. "Who's with you?"

Negan ignored the question. "Where's your daddy? Is he home?"

"You know he's on a supply run." Carl replied. He used his body to block the door. "So, why are you here?" 

"You didn't hear my little announcement." Negan leaned down until he was eye level with Carl. "I'm taking some time off. My job.. it's just so stressful." His fingers pressed underneath Carls chin, tilting his head up. "I thought you'd be happy to see me, its been a while."

Carl stared up at him, scoffing. "Like you would miss me." He pulled away from his hand, grabbing the door. "I'm cooking dinner." 

"Good." Negan used the tip of Lucille to push the door open. He nudged Carl out of the way, setting the bat on the ground, propped up against the wall. "Are we having spaghetti? Because you know that is my favorite." Negan stopped when he heard Judith. "Is that my favorite little princess?" He asked, stepping into the living room.

Carl followed him, stopping when he saw Negan kneel down in front of Judith and pick up one of her toys. Judith reached for it, her tiny hands grabbing at Negans big ones. For a moment, Carl debated on grabbing a camera and indulging in this moment, but he changed his mind once he thought about how Negan would react.

"Be careful with her." Carl warned. "I'm going to stir the macaroni." He stayed there for a few more seconds, watching Negan shrug off his jacket and pick her up into his arms, before going back into the kitchen 

As Carl finished dinner he could hear Negan talk to Judith. He asked her if he liked horses and told her that he would give her anything she wanted. That was something they had in common, they both wanted to protect Judith from this miserable world. She giggled and laughed as he carried her around and tickled his sides. She pulled at the scoff of his beard and he continuously kissed the top of her head. Carl smiled, taking a mental picture of them, storing it away with the memories of his mom and the life they had before the world crumbled.

Negan set Judith down on the ground, walking towards the kitchen. "How's my wife doing?" 

Carl rolled his eyes. Whatever moment they were having was gone. "I told you not to call me that. I'm a guy." 

"My guy." Negans arms snaked around his waist, fingers pressing against Carls hip bones. 

"Not your bitch. Not your wife." Carl breathed out. "It's not safe for you to be here. I could burn you."

"You could kill me in a million different ways.." Negan kissed his neck.

"I could." Carl mumbled. "Maybe in two million different ways." 

"I'm not afraid." Negan never was. Carl envied that.

"You should be.." Carl sighed, reaching back and tangling his fingers in Negans hair. "I'm dangerous."

"Not to her.." Negan mumbled. "Plus, if you were gonna kill me, you would have already done it. I've given you plenty of opportunities." 

Carl smiled to himself. In a sick way he was playing house. Negan was the husband. He was the wife. Judith was theirs. "Why? You want me to kill you."

"Well.." Negan trailed off. "Of all the ways to die, you being the reason doesn't sound half bad." 

Carl nudged him away. "Go wash up for dinner. Help Judith, too. It's almost ready." 

Negan smiled against his skin, his scruff scraping his neck. "Good wife.."

**Author's Note:**

> I lowkey wanna do one where they play house and its soft and fluffy ajdjdjd idk what this is its kind of a mess I wrote it in 15 minutes


End file.
